This section introduces aspects that may help facilitate a better understanding of the disclosure. Accordingly, these statements are to be read in this light and are not to be understood as admissions about what is or is not prior art.
Functionalizing solid flat surfaces or micro/nano sensor surfaces is a widely used procedure in many fields including biology, chemistry, medicine, and biomedical engineering. This procedure is usually performed by pipetting liquids onto an area larger than the intended area (in order to ensure sufficient coverage). Patterning of surfaces in order to result in gradients where the deposited pattern changes (i.e., in amount or in a particular dimension) has been used in diverse applications ranging from biosensing to cell culture systems. Several methods have been employed to create such gradients including diffusion-based microfluidics, laser desorption, and photochemistry. However, such methodologies often require complex equipment and harsh treatments which prevent the widespread use of gradient patterning.
Techniques such as micro-contact printing do exist but they require a “stamp” be prepared beforehand. The user cannot change the stamp pattern. If the user decides that a new pattern is needed, the user has to make a new stamp with the desired new pattern.
Therefore, there is an unmet need for a novel approach that can selectively and robustly functionalize a surface by depositing biological or chemical traces on the surface.